Post Holdings emerges as buyer for Weetabix

Post Holdings, the US food group, was this week announced as the new owner of Weetabix, the UK-based breakfast cereal business. The GBP1.4bn deal sees Post, one of the major cereal companies in the US, take on one of the leading players in the sector in the UK but one seeing muted growth in a challenging market – and a business seen to have hardly prospered under the ownership of China’s state-backed giant Bright Food. Post discussed its move with Wall Street analysts on Tuesday and Dean Best presents the key takeaways.

Post Holdings' takeover of Weetabix will provide the US group with more opportunities to make further acquisitions, its president and CEO Rob Vitale said today (18 April) after announcing the GBP1.4bn (US$1.79bn) purchase of the UK business.

Post Holdings, the US group behind breakfast cereal brands Grape-Nuts and Honey Bunches of Oats, this morning (18 April) confirmed it has struck a deal to buy UK business Weetabix in a deal worth GBP1.4bn (US$1.76bn).

Almost five years after Bright Food snapped up a majority stake in Weetabix, the state-backed Chinese group is said to be looking to offload its shares in the UK-based breakfast cereal business. Speculation started before Christmas and, although Bright Food sought to cool the chatter, the rumours have intensified, with four bidders apparently preparing to table offers. Dean Best surveys the purported runners and riders.

Weetabix has confirmed that it will push ahead with a GBP30m (US$37.6m) investment to increase production as Nestle, General Mills, Post Holdings, Associated British Foods and Barilla reportedly line up to submit bids for the business.